Handwheel for looms



Sept, 7, 1948.

A. G. KRUKONIS HAND WHEEL FOR LOOMS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 001;. 29, 1945 IN V E N TOR ALEXANDER C. KRUKON/S ATTORNE Y Sept; 7, 19.48,

.HAND WHEEL FOR LOOMS Filed 001:. 29, 1945 2 She ets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ALEMNDER a. KRUKO/V/S ATTORNEY A. c. KRUKON-IS 2,448,811

Patented Sept. 7, 1948 2,448,811 HANDWHEEL FOR LooMs Alexander 0. Krukonis, or to Crompton & Worcester, Mass, at

chusetts Worcester, Mass, assign- Knowles Loom Works, corporation of Massa- Application October 29, 1945, Serial No. 625,321

8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in the hand wheels of looms and it is the general object of the invention to provide a hand wheel normally disconnected from the loom during loom operationbut connected tothe loom when the latter is stopped to permit manual operation of the loom.

It has been customary in the past to provide looms with hand wheels keyed or otherwise secured to the top shaft of the loom to permit the loom to be turned over by hand. Such a hand wheel when turning with the shaft during loom operation has a momentum :which must be arrested when the loom protects. It is an important object of my present invention to construct and control the hand wheel in such manner that it will ordinarily be at rest so that when the loom protects there will be no hand wheel momentum energy to be dissipated.

A loom will ordinarily protect during forward movement of the lay with part at least of the shuttle in the warp shed and the shuttle can be removed from the shed only by turning the loom in a reverse direction to move the lay rearwardly far enough to permit the shuttle to be taken out of the shed. This reverse movement cannot ordinarily be derived from the loom driving mechanism and shipper handle of the loom, since the driving mechanism will drive the loom in a forward direction only. my present invention to provide a stationary hand wheel which will be connected to the loom at the time of protection so that the lay can be given a reverse motion suflicient to permit removal of the shuttle from the shed.

In order that there may be no tendency on the part of the turning shaft of the loom to cause rotation of the hand wheel it is still another object of my invention to mount the hand wheel independently of the shaft. This may be accomplished by supporting the hand wheel or some part of it in a stationary bearing in such manner that all parts of the hand :wheel will be out of contact with the shaft during loom operation.

It is another object of my invention to provide means by which the shipper mechanism when moving from running to stopping position will automatically connect a normally idle hand wheel to one of the loom shafts so that the loom can be turned over by hand whenever the shipper mechanism is in stopping position.

At the time the loom protects considerable energy must be dissipated in a very short interval of time and it is another object of. my invention It is another object of coming the inertia of the hand to connect the stationary hand wheel to the loom, as for instance to the aforesaid shaft, during the protecting interval so that a part of the energy to be dissipated can be spent in overwheel. Because of this latter feature of my invention it will be seen that the stationary hand wheel not only reduces the total amount of energy which must be dissipated at the time of protection, but also absorbs part of this energy. 7

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth. In the accompanying drawings, wherein a convenient embodiment of my invention is set forth, Fig. 1 is a plan view of the driving end of a loom having my invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section on line 2-42 of Fig. 1,

Figs. 3 and 4 and 5 are vertical sections on lines and brake handle in position for turning the.- loom over by hand after the loom has been.

stopped by the protector mechanism.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 10, I have shown a loom frame 10 having a breast beam II and an outboard bearing frame l2 fixed with respect to the loom frame. Inner and outer bearings l3 and M, respectively, are provided for the top or crank shaft l5 of the loom. The latter shaft is driven by mechanism part of which is shown in Fig. 1 and including a driving gear l6, clutch l1, shipper lever I8 for the clutch, and a brake band I 9 extending around the brake drum 20 secured to the shaft 15. The shipper lever I8 is pivoted as at 2| with respect to the outboard bearing frame l2 and is attached to a link 22 connected to a bell crank lever 23 pivoted on a stand 24 fixed with respect to the loom frame. A rod 25 extends forwardly from the bell crank lever and is connected to a rocking lever 26 pivoted on a fixed stud 21. A link 28 connects the rocking lever with the shipper handle 29 which is secured to the shipper shaft 30. When the shipper handle is in the rear or stopping position shown in Fig. 7 the shipper lever l8 will I 3 be moved outwardly or away from the loom frame to move the clutch H to non-operating position with the shaft l disconnected from the driving gear I6.

A. brake handle 35 is pivoted on the shipper shaft 30 and is connected to a link 36 pivoted to a second rocking lever 31 moving about fixed stud 21. An actuating screw 38 on the link 36 is positioned for engagement with the lower part of the shipper handle. A brake rod 39 extends rear- Wardly from lever 3'! and is pivoted to the lower end of a brake band lever 40 the other end of which is attached to a spring 4 I.

respect to the loom frame and the spring normally tends to rock lever 40 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig.10, or in the direction to move the brake band i9 against the brake drum 20.

During normal running conditions both the shipper handle and the brake handle will be in forward position, or to the left as viewed in Figs. 1 and 10, spring M being overpowered by the locking relation of link 36.; and lever 3'! so that band [9 will be spaced slightly from the drum 20. Under these conditions also the shipper lever It will be held in the driving position shown in Fig. l and gear IE will be connected to shaft 25 through the clutch H.

The loom protector mechanism includes a protector rod 45 carried by the loom lay L and having a dagger Mi the position of which is determined by the shuttle S. If as the lay advances the shuttle is properly boxed the protector dagger 46 will be in down or non-stopping position and as the lay is moved forwardly by shaft l5 the dagger will pass below a bunter or stop lever i'l pivoted with respect to the breast beam at 48. If the shuttle should not be properly boxed, however, and should remain trapped in the warp shed, see Fig. 8, the dagger will remain in raised position and as the lay advances it will cause dagger M5 to engage lever A! and rock the latter, causing its outer end 49 to engage an upstanding horn 50 on the brake handle. Under these conditions the brake handle 35 will be rocked in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. and the acuator screw 38 will be moved against the shipper handle to rock the latter from the running to the stopping position shown in Fig, 10. The result of this operation will be to stop the loom and leave the brake band tight against the drum 20.

In order to permit manual operation of the 100m the brake handle 35 will then be moved for-- wardly to the off or running position to slacken the band I9 with respect to the drum 2! This forward movement of the brake handle is made possible by the fact that the lay ordinarily rebounds somewhat as the result of protection, and the end 49 of the hunter lever 4! merely initiates application of the brake to unlock the brake link 35 with respect to the lever 31 to permit spring l! to apply the brake. There is therefore a certain amount of lost motion between the horn 50 and the end 459 of lever 41 which will permit forward movement of the brake handle after the loom has been stopped by engagement of the dagger 46 with the lever 41.

The matter thus far described is of common construction and of itself forms no part of my present invention and may be made as set forth inprior patent to Brouwer No. 2,055,228. It is thought sufficient for present purposes to state that when both the brake and shipper handles arein forward position, or to the left as viewed That end of the spring ll remote from lever 40 is anchored with in Fig. 10, the loom will be in operation. When the loom protects, however, the brake handle will be rocked rearwardly to permit application of the brake and the shipper handle will move rearwardly from running to stopping position. The brake handle can then again be moved forwardly to its running or off position while the shipper handle remains in stopping position.

In carrying my present invention into effect I provide means by which a hand wheel normally stationary during loom operation can be connected automatically to the shaft l5 when the loom is stopped, as by the protector mechanism. The hand wheel 60 shown more particularly in Fig. 2 has a sleeve 6| secured thereto as at 62. This sleeve fits into and is supported by a stationary bearing 63 secured to the outboard bearing frame l2 by means of bolts 64. These bolts also hold a disk 65 against the outboard frame [2.

The sleeve is rotatable relatively to bearing 63 and can also slide in the latter axially of shaft l5 A sleeve 65 surrounding shaft it has a clutch head 8 secured to the shaft by means of a pin 68. The sleeve 66 forms part of the previously mentioned bearing M and engages rollers 69 two of which are shown in Fig. 2. These rollers turn in the bearing M and constitute a roller bearing supported by the outboard bearing frame [2 and affords means for supporting the outer end of the shaft I5. A clutch disk H1 is secured as at ii to the sleeve 61 and has teeth 52 to engage teeth 13 of the head 61.

In order to control the position of the hand wheel and sleeve 6! I provide a lever 15 pivoted as at it on a small stand Tl secured to the outboard frame IZ. A link 18 connects lever I5 to the shipper lever 18 and causes these two levers to move together. Lever l8 may be provided with stud 19 shown in detail in Fig. 2 to operate the clutch mechanism H.

The lever 15 is provided with pins which fit into a groove 8! formed in the periphery of sleeve 8i. When lever i5 is rocked the pins 80 cause longitudinal movement of the hand wheel and sleeve SI with respect to the shaft l5 and also cause relative movement of the clutch members El and 10. I

Under normal running conditions the link 18 will be caused by shipper lever E8 to hold the clutch members separated as shown in Fig. 2. At the time of protection, however, the shipper handle will be rocked from the position of Fig. 6 to that of Fig. 7 by the actuating screw 38 as already described, thereby unlocking lever 26 and permitting spring 14 to act through rod 25 to cause angular movement of the shipper lever Hi to operate clutch ll in such manner as todisconnect shaft I5 from the driving gear It. This movement of the shipper lever rocks lever I5 and causes the pins St to move the sleeve 6| into the bearing 63,

iereby causing engagement of clutch member it with the clutch member Bl. This engagement of the clutch member automatically connects the hand wheel to the shaft i5 and it is then possible to reverse the direction of the loom to move the lay L rearwardly far enough to permit the shuttle trapped in the warp shed to be removed.

Fig. 8 shows diagrammatically the relation of the shuttle S with respect to the warp shed W at the beginning of the protector operation, and Fig. 9 shows the relation of the parts upon completion of the protector operation after the lay has moved forwardl slightly from the position of Fig. 8. It will be obvious from Fig. 9 that it is necessary to turn the loom backwardly in order to get the shuttle out of the warp shed and this reverse movement can be accomplished as already stated by means of the hand wheel.

As shown more particularly in Fig. 2 all parts which move with thehandwheel are out of engagement with the shaft I5 when the loom is running. The bore 85 of the clutch disk i is of somewhat larger diameter than the shaft I and the latter passes through a hole 86 in the hand wheel which is also larger than the shaft. The bearing 63 is preferably concentric with shaft I5 so that it maintains the hand wheel and all parts of the latter out of engagement with the shaft for all longitudinal positions of the hand wheel and also for all angular positions of the shaft.

As already indicated an important feature of my invention resides in the fact that the hand wheel can be clutched to the shaft I5 while the latter is still turning during the protecting interval, and for this reason. part of the energy which must be dissipated at the time of protection can be absorbed by overcoming the inertia of the hand wheel. Ordinarily the actuator screw 38 of the brake lever will be set very close to the shipper handle so that for all practical purposes the shipper handle moves as soon as the brake handle is moved by the protector mechanism. After the protector dagger engages the lever 47 the latter moves an appreciable fraction of a second during the protector interval before the lay actually comes to rest. During the first part of this interval the shipper handle will have moved far enough to establish initial engagement between the clutch member 61 and III, at which time the shaft I5 is still turning. At the time of this initial engagement the hand wheel starts to turn and the amount of energy which must be expended in getting the hand wheel into rotation is derived from the energy of the shaft I5 which must be dissipated during the protecting operation. It will therefore be seen that by having the hand wheel ordinarily stationary and connected to the shaft during the protecting operation, two beneficial results are effected the first of which is that the total energy to be dissipated is reduced due to the fact that the hand wheel is stationary, and a part of this reduced energy is utilized in getting the hand wheel into motion.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided simple means b which a hand Wheel normally stationary during loom operation is automatically connected to the driving shaft upon loom stoppage due to operation of the protector mechanism to permit manual reversal of the lay so that the shuttle trapped in the warp shed can be removed. It will also be seen that the hand wheel is radially spaced from shaft I5 and is so mounted that during loom operation it is out of engagement with the shaft and can remain stationary so that it has no momentum energy to be dissipated at the time of protection. Furthermore, movement of the shipper mechanism from running to stopping position effects engagement of the clutch member 61 and I0 to connect the hand wheel operatively to the shaft I5. While this connection of the hand wheel to the shaft occurs upon all stoppages of the loom, it is particularly useful when the loom is stopped by the protector mechanism, since under these conditions the loom cannot be operated by power and must be reversed manually. It will further be noted that by connecting the hand wheel to the shaft I5 during the protecting interval and while the shaft I5 is still in motion a part of the energy which must be dissipated incident to protection is absorbed by overcoming the inertia of the hand wheel.

' Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes and modifications may be made therein byithose skilled in the art Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wish to belimited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In alloom having a shaft which turns during loom operation to reciprocate a lay and in which the shaft and lay are at rest when the loom is not operating, shipper mechanism controlling operation of the m and movable to running and stopping positions, loom protector mechanism to move the shipper mechanism from running to stopping position by a force derived from the lay upon improper presence of a shuttle in the warp shed, a stationary bearing surrounding the shaft, a hand wheel rotatable on and slidable longitudinally along said bearing axially of the shaft, and connections between said shipper mechanism and said hand wheel effective when the shipper mechanism is moved to stopping position by the protector mechanism to move the hand wheel bodily axially of the shaft and connect the hand wheel operatively to the shaft.

2. In a loom having a lay, a shaft by which the lay is reciprocated backwardly and forwardly due to rotation of a shaft during loom operation, a stationary bearing concentric with the shaft, a hand wheel supported by and mounted for rotation with respect to the bearing, said hand wheel being radially spaced from and out of engagement with the shaft and remaining at rest during loom operation, a clutch member secured to and rotating with the shaft, a clutch member fixed with respect to the hand wheel, loom. shipper mechanism, and means controlled by the shipper mechanism to cause engagement of said clutch members to connect the hand wheel operatively to the shaft when the shipper mechanism is in non-running position.

3. In a loom having a lay reciprocated by a shaft'which rotates during loom operation, a clutch member secured to and rotating with said shaft, a hand wheel concentric with the shaft and movable axially and independently of the shaft, a second clutch member rotatable with the hand wheel and normally out of engagement with the first clutch member during loom operation to enable said hand Wheel to remain stationary, and means operative upon loom stoppage to effect axial movement of the hand wheel and second clutch member along the axis of the shaft to effect engagement of said clutch members to connect the hand Wheel operatively to said shaft.

4. In a loom having a lay reciprocated backwardly and forwardly due to rotation of a shaft during loom operation, a fixed bearing concentric with the shaft, a hand Wheel having a hub r rotatably mounted in and slidable axially with respect to the fixed bearing, a clutch member fixed with respect to the shaft, a second clutch member fixed with respect to the hub, shipper mechanism movable from running position when the loom is operating to stopping position when the loom stops, and connections between the shipper mechanism and said hub operated by a force derived from the lay to move the hand wheel axially of the shaft and then cause engagement of said clutch members to connect the 7 hand wheeloperatively to the shaft when the shipper mechanism moves to stopping position.

5. In a loom having a lay reciprocate'd by a shaft which rotates during loom operation, a clutch member rotating with said shaft, a hand wheeha fixed bearing extending around the axis of said shaft, said hand wheel rotatable on said bearing and capable of sliding movement on said bearing axially of the shaft, a second clutch member fixed with respect to the hand wheel and out of engagement with the first clutch member during loom operation, and means operated by a force derived from the lay incident to loom stoppage to move said hand wheel axially of the shaft to effect engagement of said clutch mem bers to connect the hand wheel operatively to the shaft while the lay is moving.

6. In a loom having a frame provided with an outboard support provided with a bearing in which a lay operating shaft rotates during loom operation, a shipper lever pivoted with respect to the outboard support and when in running position causing rotation of the shaft and operation of the loom, the loom and shaft being stationary when the shipper lever is in stopping position, a fixed bearing concentric with the shaft and mounted by said outboard support, a hand wheel having a hub rotatable in and slid able longitudinally of said fixed bearing and axially of the shaft, clutch members one of which rotates with the shaft and the other of which rotates with the hand wheel, and means connected to said shipper lever and effective when the latter moves from running to stopping position to move said hand wheel axially of the shaft in said stationary bearing to cause engagement of said clutch members and thereby operatively connect the hand wheel to the shaft.

'7, In a loom having a lay, a lay operating shaft which rotates during loom operation and is at rest when the loom is not operating, shipper mechanism in running position when the shaft is rotating and in stoppingposition when the shaft is at rest, a clutch member secured to and rotating with the shaft, a hand wheel for the shaft stationary during loom operation, means mountingthe hand wheel concentrically with but independently of the shaft when the latter is rotating, 2. second clutch member concentric with said shaft and first named clutch member secured to and rotatable with the hand wheel, and means controlled by the shipper mechanism to effect relative movement of said clutch members to effect engagement thereof when the shipper mechanism moves to stopping position to connect the hand wheel operatively to the shaft.

8. In a loom having a lay and an operating shaft therefor which rotates during loom operation and comes to rest when the loom stops, shipper mechanism in running position when the shaft is rotating, means transmitting a force from the lay to the shipper mechanism to cause the latter to move to stopping position to bring the shaft and lay to rest, a hand wheel for the shaft mounted for axial and rotary motion relatively to and independently of the shaft and normally at rest and operatively disconnected from the shaft during loom operation, and means actuated by a force derived from the lay and transmitted through the shipper mechanism when the latter is moved to stopping position by action of the lay first to move the hand wheel along the shaft and then connect the hand wheel operatively to said shaft, whereby the inertias incident to axial and rotary motion of the hand wheel oppose motion of the lay.

ALEXANDER. C. KRUKONIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file'of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

